Laura Frankels Whole Wheat Challah Recipes

WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH RECIPE

Steps:

• Mix the yeast and water together in the bowl of a stand mixer, and let stand for about 5 minutes. With the paddle attachment, mix in 3 eggs, sugar, butter, salt, the whole wheat flour, 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, and oatmeal. Switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes, adding more all-purpose flour as needed.
• Shape the dough into a ball, and place in an oiled bowl, flipping it around to oil the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough, cover and let rise again till doubled, about an hour.
• Punch down dough again, then the dough in half. Cut one-half into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a rope, about 12 inches long. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
• Place the braided challah on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the loaf with a dry cloth, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350º.
• Brush the loaf with the egg beaten with water, and bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20-30 minutes, brushing loaves with egg wash again at the 15-minute mark.
• Cool before slicing.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• 1. Place the dough ingredients in the bread machine pan according to order in manufacturer's instructions. Set the electronic panel to dough setting and select start. 2. Ninety minutes later, the dough should be done. You can leave the dough in the machine until you are ready to braid it. 3. Divide into two loaves and braid. 4. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet. Alternatively, place each braided loaf in a greased, rectangular loaf pan or oval challah pan. 5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 6. Crack an egg in a bowl and mix with a fork. Brush egg wash over the loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or oats. 7. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the loaves are golden. Notes: White whole wheat flour is a great way to add whole grain goodness into your diet. This 100% whole wheat flour is milled from hard white wheat, rather than traditional red wheat used to make typical whole wheat flour. Since white whole wheat flour is a lighter color grain with a milder taste and somewhat finer grind than its traditional cousin, I often omit white flour altogether and use four full cups of white whole wheat flour. Vital wheat gluten will strengthen the structure, lighten the texture, and promote a good rise in the dough.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix yeast, warm water and 1 cup of bread flour into a thin batter, and let stand until the mixture shows frothy bubbles, about 10 minutes. Stir in vegetable oil, honey, 3 eggs, and salt until well combined. Beat in 2 more cups of bread flour and the whole wheat flour, alternating flours by cupfuls, until the dough is too stiff to stir in more flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour if needed to form a slightly sticky dough. Form the dough into a round shape. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn the dough over a few times to oil the surface. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough, knead it a few times to remove some of the bubbles, and cut it into 3 equal-sized pieces. Cut the first piece into 3 equal parts. Set the rest of the dough aside under a cloth to prevent drying out while you braid the first loaf.
• Working on a floured surface, roll the small dough pieces into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right, move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left, and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding, alternating sides each time, until the loaf is braided, and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look. Repeat for the other 2 loaves, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, and brush the egg mixture over the braided challah loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are a deep golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack before slicing.

D'S WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• Mix the yeast and water together in a large bowl, and let stand until a creamy layer forms on top, about 5 minutes. Beat in 3 eggs, sweetener, butter, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and rolled oats. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Form the dough into a compact round shape, and place in an oiled bowl. Turn the dough over several times in the bowl to oil the surface of the dough, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough, and cut into 3 equal-size pieces. Working on a floured surface, roll the dough pieces into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right, move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left, and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding, alternating sides each time, until the loaf is braided, and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look. Place the braided challah on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the loaf with a dry cloth, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Brush the loaf with 1 beaten egg, and bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

LAURA FRANKEL'S WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• Make a sponge: Place the tepid water, whole-wheat flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl or in a bowl that attaches to a mixer. Stir this mixture together or do like we do and use your hands and really get in there and mush it together. Cover the mixture and allow it sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients adding only enough flour until the mixture is not wet and sticky. You many not need the entire 4 cups of flour. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until the dough is supple and smooth. Cover and let it rest for at least one hour or store the dough wrapped tightly over night in the refrigerator.
• Shape the dough into your favorite loaf. Place the loaves on a lightly greases sheet pan. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for two hours.
• Whisk together yolks and water, brush the loaves with the egg wash, sprinkle with seeds if using, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven until the challot are browned and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom (about 30-45 minutes).
• Let the challot sit for at least one hour before cutting it. The baking process continues for 20 minutes after the bread is removed from the oven. Steam continues cooking the bread and making it dense and moist. Cutting the crust would allow the steam to escape.

WHOLE GRAIN CHALLAH

Steps:

• Please watch the video for detailed instructions. The following is intended as a general guideline to accompany the video.
• Combine the dry ingredients (not the seeds).
• Combine all the wet ingredients (except the egg wash) in a medium bowl.
• Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Knead the dough for 5-7 minute or do a series of 3 or 4 stretch-and-folds at 10-15 minute intervals.
• Let the dough rise in covered bowl until about doubled in volume. The time it takes can vary greatly depending mostly on room temperature. Figure on somewhere between 1 to 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough. On a flour dusted work surface, divide the dough into equally weighted balls (one ball for each strand you intend to braid).
• Roll the balls into strands and braid into whatever style suits your fancy. Reference YouTube for numerous options.
• Place loaf on parchment lined baking sheet, apply egg wash, sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds and cover with plastic wrap (mist plastic wrap with a spray of oil to prevent it sticking to dough). Over the next 1-2 hours the dough will rise about 50% to as much as nearly doubling.
• Place in 350º oven until the internal dough temperature reaches 190º. Bake time is about 18-20 minutes. Ovens vary, so the first time you make this bread, start checking the dough temp at about the 16 minute mark.
• Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Enjoy while fresh and warm.